Can personal recreational equipment be used for classes and activities at Rueter-Hess Reservoir?

Although personal recreational equipment is not generally allowed at Rueter-Hess Reservoir, there are designated days during the 2019 season where the public can bring their own water craft (stand up paddle board or kayak) with pre-registration and inspection upon entry. To register or to view other recreational offerings at Rueter-Hess Reservoir, please visit http://www.RHRecreation.org.

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While you're on Let's Talk Parker, make sure to view all of the different projects that the Town of Parker is currently working on. We love to hear feedback from our residents, and this is your opportunity to let your voice be heard!

The Town of Parker is not raising mill levy rates on existing metro districts and does not have the authority to do so. A special district’s fees and taxes are set by its Board of Directors, subject to the limitations imposed by TABOR, Colorado statutes and the special district’s electors through the election process. The Town can place limitations on a metro district’s mill levy during the Service Plan approval process. In this case, the Town Council is changing those limitations to more closely align with other jurisdictions in the metro area.

In May 2019, the Town Council did vote to allow an increase to mill levy rates on metro districts for developments in Parker, such as the undeveloped portion of Anthology and the new Hess Ranch developments. The purpose of these higher rates, which are set before any homes are even built and still must be approved by the metro districts themselves, is to ensure that homeowners in these new developments are covering the cost for their own infrastructure, such as roads, sidewalks and trails, and that the burden to pay for them does not fall on the existing Town of Parker taxpayers. Again, this will not change property taxes for current homeowners.

The Town knows our residents are busy, so we offer a wide variety of ways for our community to be informed about what is happening in Parker. Planning Commission and Town Council meeting agendas are available on the Town website at www.ParkerOnline.org/Agendas and meetings are live streamed on the Town’s Facebook page, as well as available on the Town’s YouTube channel following the meeting. The Town also puts out a Town Council meeting recap on social media, Nextdoor and the Town website following each meeting.

The purpose of zoning is to regulate the use of land and the physical improvements to land located within the Town of Parker, without imposing undue burden on the land owner as provided by state and federal law. All land within the Town of Parker’s incorporated limits is zoned for specific uses. Land owners have a legal right to develop their privately owned land, as long as the development meets the Town’s current zoning requirements. The Planning Commission, Town Council and staff work to ensure that new developments meet the Town’s vision for growth and development, design standards and building code requirements.

The Town Council and Planning Commission do not have the authority to deny a commercial development on a property that is zoned commercial, or a residential development on land that is zoned residential, as long the project meets the Town’s standards and requirements. If a developer is requesting to rezone property, for example changing the zoning of a property to allow for commercial use instead of residential use, the Town Council can vote to deny the request to change the zoning if Town Council determines that the project does not meet the nine criteria set forth in the Municipal Code, including consistency with the Parker 2035 Master Plan.

The Town Council can ensure that developers meet the Town’s zoning standards and require that they provide adequate infrastructure and amenities such as parks, trails, open space and landscaping buffers. Parker also works hard to ensure that developments are of a high quality and pay their fair share for improvements that mitigate impacts on the community, for instance, contributing to road enhancements or expansions.

You can view the Town’s boundary map to see which developments are occurring in the Town of Parker, as many of the projects under construction are located on our Town borders in Lone Tree and unincorporated Douglas County. You can also view the Town’s Zoning Map to see how land in Parker is currently zoned.

The Town does not have decision-making authority for development beyond its limits, however, Parker does coordinate with governmental entities when reviewing development proposals. Such coordination efforts are primarily through referral reviews and comments, as well as ongoing intergovernmental coordination on planning and infrastructure improvements. View Parker’s Town Boundary map and Development Tour Map to see which developments are occurring in the Town of Parker. For the many projects under construction located outside of our Town borders, visit the Lone Tree website or the Douglas County website.

The Town of Parker is happy to provide information about the zoning of property in Parker, as well as what types of uses could eventually be developed there (i.e. commercial, single-family residential, multi-family residential, etc.). If you have a question about what is being developed (or could potentially be developed) on a specific piece of property, please call our Community Development Department at 303.841.2332, email staff, or visit us in person at Town Hall, 20120 E. Mainstreet and our staff can walk you through the process. This is especially helpful if you are purchasing a home in Parker near undeveloped land, which is likely planned for future development. View the Town’s Zoning Map to see how land in Parker is currently zoned.

The Town receives many inquiries about property tax and, in particular, why the Town’s property tax is so high. While a small portion of the property tax paid by Parker residents does come to the Town to support the general fund and operations, the majority is distributed to many different governmental organizations.

For instance, on a home with an actual market value of $400,000, the Town receives only $75 in property tax each year, while other entities such as the Douglas County School District, Douglas County Government, the Parker Water and Sanitation District, and the South Metro Fire Rescue Authority, among others, also receive a portion of the property tax collected.

The Engineering Department’s Traffic Services Division is responsible for monitoring signal timing in the Town of Parker and coordinating traffic plans. In all, this group maintains 88 total traffic signals — 75 Town-owned and 13 which are owned by Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and maintained by the Town by contract. Traffic signals are timed based on traffic data such as daily through counts and peak hour turning movement counts. These counts are fed into analysis software to recommend the best signal timing for a corridor or group of signals. This would include how long a cycle is, how long each green phase is displayed and how each signal operates in coordination with neighboring signals. The goal is to minimize delay for the greatest number of users. The outputs of the analysis and simulation are reviewed by human eyes and further adjusted based on known field conditions that the computers may not be able to correct for. The Town routinely monitors traffic conditions and makes adjustments to timing based on changes in measured flow. In the future, the Traffic Services Division hopes to implement “traffic responsive” flow for a number of Parker signals. This is an operational strategy where signal parameters are chosen based on automated real-time data collection, rather than historic measures and expected daily patterns. To report a traffic signal not working, damaged traffic signs or other traffic-related issue, please contact the Department of Engineering at 303.840.9546 during regular hours. To report an emergency concern after hours please call the Parker Police Department at 303.841.9800.

Parker has comprehensive transportation network improvement plans in place. Since road projects can be very expensive, the Town must build them over time as funding allows. You can read more about our current capital improvement plans here.

Parker does have a robust open space program. However, not all vacant land is what it seems. There are currently many undeveloped properties in the Town of Parker that are often mistaken for open space.

What many people don't realize is that all properties within the Town limits, including these undeveloped areas, are already zoned. Zoning means that a property has been designated for a particular use or uses. Types of zoning include business, commercial, residential and industrial. Land can only be utilized for the purposes allowed under its zoning classification. View the Town’s zoning map to see the zoning for vacant land in Parker.

Lots of things are happening in Parker! You can learn more about projects currently in Parker's development process by visiting www.ParkerOnline.org/Development. Our Community Development staff is also available to answer questions about development in our community and can be reached at 303.841.2332.

The Town of Parker is currently processing the Parker Road Corridor Plan. The goal of this plan is to develop a corridor-specific vision around land use, transportation and urban design along Parker Road. To find out more, please visit the project website at www.ParkerOnline.org/ParkerRoadCorridorPlan, where you can sign up for project updates and review project documents. Thank you!

The Rueter-Hess Reservoir is not currently open to the general public. The Parker Water & Sanitation District estimates that it may be several years before the funding is in place for the necessary infrastructure (i.e. roads, trails, restrooms, etc.) and on-site staffing required to accommodate the general public. However, a variety of scheduled programming will be taking place at Rueter-Hess Reservoir over the summer, including "Paddle Days" for increased access by the public. You can find more information about events and activities at http://www.RHRecreation.org.

Although personal recreational equipment is not generally allowed at Rueter-Hess Reservoir, there are designated days during the 2019 season where the public can bring their own water craft (stand up paddle board or kayak) with pre-registration and inspection upon entry. To register or to view other recreational offerings at Rueter-Hess Reservoir, please visit http://www.RHRecreation.org.